


Politics

by hyekyo



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-18 23:03:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1446067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyekyo/pseuds/hyekyo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been some sad, bitter fifteen years since then and there they met, surprisingly, again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Politics

Brienne Tarth had not expected to be made part of the new Stark government, never in her entire political career had she imagined it happening, she was the youngest parliamentarian after all and she had not expected Catelyn to give her the coveted Justice ministry. She had received criticisms fairly well, some have gone beyond her comments on her political craftsmanship, going so far as to insult her on a personal level, all of which she had shrugged off until the first, major, threat to her ministry came. Some bugs had been found on the late Renly Baratheon’s office, bugs which were being linked to her ministry, it was only the Ministry of Justice who had access to such bugs in the first place, but it was being compounded with her association with the youngest Baratheon years ago, when she was still a newbie, among the technocrats hired to make the parliamentarians’ lives easier.

She had provided a statement, which her press officer had released in a press conference while she had stayed at the back room, watching the proceedings, watching her press officer being ran over by a horde of journalists eager to get a scoop. She had known Podrick Payne was rather too young to face the bloodthirsty press, with their talks of freedom of speech and the press and their never ending questions. The boy had been pale as he went back in, he was not a boy anymore, but at that moment, looking almost-petrified, Podrick had reverted back to being a boy.

The day after the terrible press conference, Goodwyn, her advisor, had said it was imperative they get a spin doctor who had more experience. “A pro,” Goodwyn had said and she reluctantly agreed. The last one they hired didn’t agree with her political beliefs. “We pay them to be good at what they do, not to agree with what we believe in.” Goodwyn had reminded her harshly, and she had agreed, he was almost like a father to her after all and he had been in this game before. She wouldn’t want to be the reason that will topple Catelyn Stark’s five month-old government.

By four in the afternoon that day she received a message from Podrick that the prospective media advisor was in the lobby, waiting to be received. She had just about finished the meeting with Catelyn regarding the issue with the bugs and was on her way to the office. She instructed Podrick to guide the man to the receiving area and had him wait there.

She eased out of her jacket when she went in, a blond head and a broad back the first thing that she saw. “Good afternoon.” She said as she got in, the man turning around to reveal the most beautiful face she had ever seen. _Jaime Lannister._ She had known this man, had known what they said about him, he was good, but he had been broiled in scandals until the Lannister family collapsed with the death of his parliamentarian father almost a decade ago. She had known him, the experience not so pleasant in her head, the first time had been at a little party back in graduate school, a little welcoming party for all new students with free alcohol until the wee hours of the morning. Jaime Lannister had been doing his dissertation then, something on nuclear energy and the political and economic consequences if she remembered correctly, and she had been a newbie, fresh with her master’s degree on public policy and on to her doctorate program when she had found him sprawled on the kitchen table of whose house the party was she couldn’t remember. He had insulted her then, words that were now a faint memory to her, but words which she had nursed like wounds for some months after that. He had ran by her in campus many times after that, all the while telling her excuses of how he had needed her help on something and his taunts had grown less and less until that day he had pulled her into a room and kissed her and touched her where no one else had before. She had been weak in the knees and breathless and clutching his shoulders when he had extricated his fingers from between her thighs, her jeans unbuttoned, sweater pulled up and brassiere undone to reveal her small breasts. He had smoothed her clothes afterwards, promises of a continuation in his mouth and he had kissed her again and again until there were voices outside and he had to pull back. She had nodded then and had waited for him, had waited and had waited until the news broke that the Lannister family had migrated, the fortunes had been seized by the government, his father, a minister of defense then had been charged with embezzlement. Jaime had come back with a doctorate degree not long after, arrogant and famous and beautiful when she had begun work for Renly Baratheon, a representative from the Stormlands, and she had nursed hopes. Though Jaime seemed to have forgotten her as years went past and his father came back to power and all her hopes had died down the moment Jaime had been embroiled in a number of acrimonious scandals, including that one with the former Prime Minister Aerys Targaryen. It had been some sad, bitter fifteen years since then and there they met, surprisingly, again.

“Brienne. Ah, Minister Tarth.” He smiled and cocked his head to the side, his eyes green and bright, almost gold in the light, the same eyes that had been haunting her sleep for the last fifteen years.

“Mr. Lannister.” She regarded him indifferently, her eyes looking at him, trying not to wince at the remembered touch of his fingers. “Can we go over your CV?”

“Yes. We can go over _everything_ if you’d like.”

She pursed her lips, heard the oncoming footsteps of Goodwyn and almost breathed out a sigh of relief.

 

 

Jaime Lannister was hired and began his work that same day and it had been two weeks since then. Brienne had to appear on a live interview and address the bugs, it had been installed months before she took office, but now she had to speak for the ministry. Renly Baratheon had been suspected of trying to oust Stannis Baratheon who succeeded Aerys Targaryen. A sudden meeting had been had, a vote of no confidence casted and Stannis Baratheon lost power in three years, Renly succeeding very briefly until he was assassinated in a victory party. The following months had been pure chaos, a range of PMs taking office and being ousted. The PM who lasted the longest had been Robert Baratheon, the eldest Baratheon. Brienne came to the parliament, having just finished her dissertation on soft power, almost naïve but for her ideals about men. Renly Baratheon had inspired and encouraged her beliefs, and she had decided to work for him. It was for some eight months until he was assassinated, she had been there when it had happened. The Starks recruited her when Renly’s office disintegrated and with Catelyn now on top and she a Justice Minister, the press is trying to make a connection with the assassination that happened more than a decade ago with a bug they found recently. 

“Deny. Deny your connection with the bug. Say you have just assumed office and that you will look at it. Any further information will be handed out to the press once available.” Jaime looked at her from across the room, a pen in his hand.

“But they would ask about Renly.” Brienne took in a deep breath, gritting her teeth, crossing and uncrossing her legs. “They thought I betrayed Renly.”

“Did you?” Jaime had crossed the distance between them, his hand on her shoulder.

“No.”

“Good. Because if you had we would have to train you to be a good liar.”

She glared at him, pushing his hands away. She sat up, walked to the windows, the city lights were beautiful in the night and the view from her office was spectacular, but it was nights like this when she wondered why she had ever agreed to take on the job. “Renly, he would have been a good Prime Minister.”

Jaime laughed. “He dressed fine if that’s what you meant.”

“Yes.” And she couldn’t help the little smile on her face.

“We’ll weather this.”

She nodded and ignored the warmth in her stomach as Jaime wrapped an arm around her.

 

 

The issue with the bugs had been resolved after much fanfare some two months since the news first came out. It had been installed even before Renly began using that office, and records showed that it was installed to monitor the activities of a political activist who used the room prior the former parliamentarian. It had been resolved yes, but Brienne knew Renly’s ghost, regardless of whether she had betrayed him or not, would forever haunt her.

Then came the issue with the refugees and the illegal immigrants in which her department had to partially answer, given the growing population of migrants, together with the ministries of Labor and Migration. There had been televised interviews which worked up her nerves and press conferences which had her on the edge of her seat. Jaime had been the perfect media adviser, and she had passed all succeeding clouts with flying colors. Catelyn had even commended her for a job well done, Brienne wouldn’t do anything to undermine Catelyn’s leadership after all.

“I need a speech.” She said as he passed by Jaime talking to a female staff. Jaime smiled at the staff, and the woman erupted into a fit of giggles and blushes which almost made Brienne gag. Jaime followed her, taking long strides to catch up to her, his walk arrogant and he looked at her knowingly.

“What for?”

“A dinner. With the other ministries.”

“Any scandal we should address?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Oh.” He laughed, and settled on the armchair of the couch as she spread the papers on her desk. “Want to make one?”

She ignored him, ignored all those stupid japes and passes he had been making since she had hired him, half a year since, knew there was nothing beyond his taunts, knew it was all over, it was a simple touch and nothing more, it was not as if they had made love or anything foolish like that. Though she felt a little irritated whenever the female population of her staff (and other ministries) flirted with Jaime.

He walked to the door and closed it behind him. The parliament was in recess and there was still too much work but there was less pressure. He walked to her, his hands briefly touching her strained shoulders which had her flinching. “Relax. I’ve touched more than your shoulders before.”

“Before. That was before.” She moved away, feet away from him, but he stalked her until he was pressing her against the wall.

“It could be now.”

“Stop Jaime.”

He slipped his arms around her, his eyes almost angry as he pulled her closer against him, every inch of her pressed over every inch of him and she let out an involuntary shudder as she felt him stir against her. _He wanted me_. The thought had her reaching for him, a hand moving to pull his collar even as her mind told her not to.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the very long delay. I know, I know, I left TOT hanging, a lot of things happened and GOT S4 had begun, but yes, I will continue writing. Anyway, here is a one shot (inspired by Borgen) I hope you'd all like, unbeta'd and unedited, but well, there's a certain appeal to raw stuff so there. I will post TOT soon!


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